THINGS WE LIKE
'Effortless Experience' informed much of what I believe about parent (customer) experience. Though aimed at supervisors working in call centers, the first 2 chapters provide invaluable insight into what customer service should look like, particularly emphasizing the idea that that your Parent experience is more important than you camp programming (your product). These two chapters alone are worth the price.
This is a must read for any camp staff who views the parent as an ‘enemy’ who is getting in the way of your ‘real’ work at camp.
"Turn the Ship Around!" is a manual to challenge traditional hierarchical structures and advocate for a more empowering and decentralized approach to leadership. Marquet's, a submarine captain, introduces a transformational leadership approach that emphasizes the importance of giving control and decision-making power to the frontline team members. His insights on creating a culture of ownership and accountability should resonate deeply with camp professionals or anyone that's has worked in a ‘that’s how we’ve always do it, thats how were going to do it’ culture Making this book a must-read for leaders and managers seeking innovative ways to inspire and unleash the full potential of their teams.
Jeanne Bliss's book, "Chief Customer Officer," is one of the four or five books that could be considered the Camp mechanics’ central Canon.
It’s also a groundbreaking resource for anyone in the Camp world striving to prioritize parent as customer centricity. Bliss outlines a clear roadmap for any organizations looking to elevate their customer focus and create lasting relationships, that lead to camper retention and parent referrals. She provides actionable strategies and practical advice that easily translates to the Camp world. This is another essential read that underscores the vital role of customer-centric leadership in today's competitive marketplace.
Fountain pens are undeniably stylish, with their elegant designs and smooth, flowing ink that elevates any writing experience. While they are indeed pretentious there's something intriguing about their old-world charm. But that’s not what sets them apart. It’s that others don’t know how to write with them, so they rarely get stolen from your desk, and when they do their distinct enough to find the thief quickly and shame them.
Making them not only an elegant writing aid but the only practical choice for a camp office.
These are disposable so a good entry level pen to test my theory. You’re welcome
We live in a time where everything seems polarizing, this book is no exception. Anyone that reads it must pick a side between “a great Book’ and the “greatest book of all time.’ We fell in the latter camp.
Why? The Camp Mechanic met Martha during his first leadership role at Camp back in 2001. They have stayed in touch ever since, so he bought the book to support a friend. Lucky he did becuase its great. But imagine his surprise when he got halfway through to find a chapter all about him. Possibly the greatest single chapter in American literary history.
We went on to read the rest of the book and it’s quite frankly amazing. But we did frequently returned to the chapter about me. The chapter about her time at Camp in the early 2000’s is worth the price alone.